Monday, May 3, 2010

Durham Bulls 10, Rochester Red Wings 2

Rochester, NY: Jeremy Hellickson became the International League's first five-game winner, and the Bulls snapped a four-game skid on Monday with an impressive 10-2 win at Rochester.

Hellickson allowed a leadoff homer to right by Matt Tolbert that put Rochester up 1-0. Hellickson then retired 19 of his next 20 batters, allowing only a third inning single to Tolbert. Hellickson fanned eight in seven innings and didn't walk a batter in improving to 5-0.

Durham took control in the second against knuckleballer Charlie Zink (0-1). Joe Dillon, who reached five times, singled to start the rally, and Chris Richard and Ryan Shealy walked to load the bases. Elliot Johnson doubled to left center, scoring two, and giving Durham a 2-1 advantage. After Jose Lobaton bounced into a fielder's choice, Fernando Perez hit a booming three-run homer to left, his first, to cap a five-run rally.

Durham took advantage of a Rochester error in the fifth to tack on one run, and added another in the seventh on Joe Dillon's third homer of the season, a liner to left.

After Rochester scored a two-out run in the seventh when a miscommunication occurred on a fly ball to right, Durham capped the scoring with a three-run ninth. Chris Richard came up with a two-out run-scoring single, and Shealy a two-run double. Durham now has scored 14 of its last 16 runs on extra-base hits.

Dillon led an 11-hit attack with two hits, two walks and four runs scored. Elliot Johnson added a pair of doubles.

Durham (16-10) remains in first place in the South Division by two games over Gwinnett. The Bulls wrap up an eight-game road trip (currently 2-5) on Tuesday against the Red Wings (11-14). Heath Phillips starts for Durham against Glen Perkins in a battle of lefties. Coverage on 620 the Buzz begins at 6:50, with first pitch at 7:05.